Now
by MissMandS
Summary: The smell of bodies is overwhelming, blood covering the ground and even the hobbit. But he just keeps staring at Thranduil, a smile on his face as he repeats 'can we play now' over and over.


It is Thranduil who finds the hobbit, sitting among the dead bodies and looking so very confused. He is staring up at the sky, at the eagles flying away from all the carnage and keeps smiling, pointing at them and cooing.

"Halfling? Are you all right?" Thranduil reaches for him. The coo that the hobbit gives him along with the smile has his stomach knotting with fear.

"Can we play now?" He asks, looking from the eagles to Thranduil. The smell of bodies is overwhelming, blood covering the ground and even the hobbit. But he just keeps staring at Thranduil, a smile on his face as he repeats 'can we play now?' over and over. Thranduil reaches for the hobbit's hand, giving him a careful tug upwards and pulls him towards his camp.

"In a moment, we must…We must talk first with Mithrandir. Then we can play." But still every few steps the hobbit pauses to ask: 'can we play now?'

The wizard looks the hobbit over from top to bottom, time and time again. His wrinkled face deepens with a frown as he looks from Thranduil back to Bilbo who now sits on a bed, playing with the edge of a blanket.

"There is a large lump on his head—an injury that is irreversible I fear." Gandalf says quietly, watching as Bilbo moves from the blankets to his robes.

"There is nothing you can do then?"

"If I knew a spell that could put him at the age of a child and would allow him to age all over again, I would do it. But that would not fix anything. Bilbo is alive; he is just…Different now. Though there is nothing wrong with that."

"Will you escort him home?" Thranduil isn't sure if the cough the wizard lets out is from Bilbo tugging on his beard or his question.

"I worry to think about what will happen to him. His family I suspect will take away his home, Bag End. And I would not trust anyone of his relatives to care for me in this state, let alone Bilbo in his state."

"Bag End it is his?"

"Yes."

"And he has no children? No immediate family besides distant relatives?"

"Unless he has hidden something from me…"

"Well then Mithrandir. I will take care of the halfling and as for his home, if there is no immediate family; I believe you are the closest thing he has. And Bilbo is in no state to make decisions about his home, leaving you to make those. If there are any objections then I will be more than happy to meet with a halfling and discuss the matters." He holds his hand out to Bilbo who lets go of Gandalf's beard, slipping his hand into Thranduil's.

"Come; let's see if we cannot find you some food and then something for us to play with." As the two walk out of the tent Gandalf shakes his head, staring after the icy king.

* * *

It is with the assistance of Gandalf (and some threats from Thranduil) that Bilbo's furniture is sent to Mirkwood where his rooms are set up under his direction. He and Thranduil stand in the doorway, watching as other elves scramble to put the furniture where he tells them to. Bilbo clutches a toy in his hands, looking back and forth as they move chairs.

"How is this Bilbo?" Feren asks, looking hopeful as he moves the bedframe for the fifth time in a row.

"Can we play now?" Bilbo asks hopefully. Feren opens his mouth, preparing to sigh until he sees the icy glare of his king and then he's nodding as Bilbo lets out a squeal and drags him outside.

There is a large part that feels very much like he is raising a child again and there are several moments that he has to remind himself, he is. And unlike Legolas, this is not a child who will ever progress past a certain point.

The mornings start early, earlier than he can ever remember them starting with Legolas. And often times they are because Bilbo is either waking him up to ask if they can play, that he is hungry and wants to know if Thranduil is awake yet or because his bed is wet. And Thranduil learns just how exactly to multitask between changing the sheets, playing with Bilbo and attempting to get him to eat and not feed his toys all of his food. And it's easy to forget that a world exists outside of his kingdom. Then one of his guards is coming to him, holding a letter in front of them and looking anxiously between Thranduil and Bilbo.

"My lord, you've a request from Dale. Lord Bard wishes to have you be at negotiations with the king under the mountain…My lord?" Thranduil's skin turns a sickly ashen color as he stands up from the dining table. Bilbo is still sitting at the table, switching back and forth between feeding himself and dropping the food on the floor.

"Bilbo…I do not wish to leave him here but to take him there." Thranduil's grip on the letter tightens. At the table Bilbo has stopped eating and climbs down from the chair, wandering towards Thranduil. He grabs hold of the train of his robes and looks up at Thranduil. His fingers are covered with oatmeal and sugar and dripping off his chin. The look in his eyes is one of complete wonder and innocence, the titles 'king under the mountain' and 'Lord Bard' having no meaning in his world. His brow is pinched though and he continues to stare up at Thranduil with deep worry in his eyes; remaining silent as Thranduil's grip on the letter continues to tighten more and more.

"Ada, can we play now?" The words nearly make his knees buckle as he thrusts the letter back at the guard.

"You know that you have oatmeal on your chin, right?" Thranduil doesn't look at the guard as he tells them to inform Bard he will be there.

Thranduil watches Bilbo's face as they arrive at Erebor, keeping his grip on Bilbo's hand firm. He doesn't look any different than Mirkwood, his face still full of wonder and innocence, no fear.

"Do you remember the last time you were here Bilbo? There were eagles…" Thranduil says quietly as he walks him through the halls of Erebor.

"Eagles? Eagles…" The word rolls off Bilbo's tongue thickly and for a moment Thranduil nearly smiles. Until he comes face to face with Bard who is as grim-faced and dour looking as he remembers him. Bard gives him an almost smile and for a moment his face nearly relaxes until he looks down at Bilbo.

"I wondered what happened to you after the battle. We could never find you. How are you master thief?" Bilbo stares up at Bard with wide, uncertain eyes as he ducks behind Thranduil's legs, his grip moving from his hand to his sleeves.

"He is not the exact same hobbit from before. In some ways he is the same but in others he will never be the same again." Thranduil says quietly. He motions for Bard to lead the way and with a deep breath begins to lead Bilbo through the halls again.

"My children are here in Erebor if you wish for them to take Bilbo…" Bard suggests as they near the doors to throne room. Thranduil doesn't see them but catches a flash of honey blonde hair and hears furious whispers and shushes.

"Yes, yes please." Kneeling down Thranduil puts his hands on Bilbo's shoulders and gives him a reassuring smile.

"Bilbo, I've got to go inside here and talk for a little while. Until then though you'll have some friends to play with, okay?" Play is the only word Bilbo needs to hear for him to go running off towards the sounds of whispers and shushes. Thranduil holds up a hand to Bard, waiting and listening until he hears the question of 'can we play now' and the excited squeal of yes before he motions for him to open to the doors.

Thorin Oakenshield is more—subdued than Thranduil remembers him being, the arrogance in him gone. He doesn't sit upright in his chair and does not seem to have the same venom in his glare that he used to. Even the prince on his left, the older one seems a little more subdued as does the advisor.

"As I was saying," The prince begins only to be interrupted by the doors which are opened up by one of Bard's children. She can't catch her breath, gulping mouthfuls of air as she runs to her father.

"Tilda, I told you to wait outside." Bard begins, scraping his chair back.

"I know da but Bilbo is hurt. Not real bad but his knees skinned and he's upset and he's hurt." Who the first ones from the throne room are, Thranduil or the dwarves he's not sure only that they're all running towards the sounds of crying in the halls. Bilbo is sitting on the ground with one of his knees drawn up to his chest. His trousers are torn and his knee bloody and scraped but nothing serious.

"He tripped…" Bard's other daughter says quietly as Thranduil kneels down.

"Bilbo look at me, look at me. It's just a little scrape, no harm done. Do you remember the time that you were running around the grounds and fell? This is just like that time." Thranduil runs his hands first through Bilbo's hair and then down his wet cheeks before he carefully brushes off his knee. Behind him the dwarves are gaping, staring first at him and then at Bilbo.

"Bilbo…We thought, we gave you up for, Gandalf never said. He disappeared after the battle, you both did." The prince begins, taking tentative steps towards Bilbo. Behind him Thorin and his advisor continue to stare, their mouths working soundlessly. The prince's knees quake and there is no more warning than that as he falls to the ground in front of Bilbo.

"I'm so sorry Bilbo…I'm so, I…" His voice is catching in his throat as his chest rises and falls with unsteady breaths. Thranduil watches silently as Bilbo lifts one of his hands, patting the prince's cheek until he looks up at him. And then he flashes a wide smile as he asks can we play now?

* * *

This is one of my headcanons that after the battle Thranduil finds Bilbo. Bilbo has suffered an injury and is mentally at a childlike stage. He then takes him to Mirkwood and takes care of him and loves the little hobbit who continually asks can we play now? This things been sitting on my laptop for over a month now...I got halfway and got distracted.

If you get what that reference of continually asking 'can we play now' from Fullmetal Alchemist you're going to think I'm a monster. But dammit I'm a great one, aren't I?

Feren was the elf who blew the horn and went to retrieve Legolas in the final movie.


End file.
